Interview with the Husband

Major throw back to our engagement photos. I just love how happy he looks.

In honor of our second year anniversary this week I did a fun little interview with Nick. Because, who doesn't want to hear from the husband who puts up with all 'o this? I had him trapped in the car on the way to Tahoe over the weekend and he couldn't escape. Ha!


So, here we go.


What was your favorite part of our wedding?
Hubs: It hard to choose just one. I think walking back down the aisle after the ceremony was over. The relief... Like yes.. We're married!


What is a Fall clothing trend?
Hubs: Ummm.... Boots and scarves?


What does PSL stand for?
Hubs: Laughs. I have no idea. Is that the ice bucket challenge thing?


What are two things I do really well?
Hubs: You are very good at organizing things. And... You are very good at calming me down. At least attempting to.


What is your first memory of me?
Hubs: I remember thinking.. She's a cute little blonde and wondering if you would think I was too short for you.


Where do you see us 5 years from now?
Hubs: 2 kids... Maybe another on the way? Loving our family life but pretty much doing the same thing we're doing now.


What is one chore you absolutely despise?
Hubs: Picking up your shoes off the floor. {For the record I'm fairly certain this almost NEVER happens) Also, putting away dishes. Folding clothes... That's pretty much it.


When is the last time you were nervous?
Hubs: Everyday. We have a newborn on the way. Touché husband.


What memory are you excited to create with our kids?
Hubs: Christmas traditions.


If we could drop everything we were doing right now and go do something, what would it be?
Hubs: Mmm... Go back to our honeymoon. Or really just go anywhere for two weeks.


If money wasn't an object what would change about our house?
Hubs: A new one?


If you could hang out with any actor for a day, who would it be?
Hubs: Paul Rudd. He's a pretty funny guy. We'll drink some beers.


What is your favorite part about Fall?
Hubs: It's cozy, not having to be so busy all the time and eating good fall food.


If you could have named yourself, what name would you have chosen?
Hubs: I like my middle name. {Gavin}


If you went on America's Got Talent what would your act be?
Hubs: I'm pretty good at cooking... Do they even do cooking on that show? I don't know I've never watched it....How long is this interview going to be?


If fat, cholesterol and calories were nothing to worry about, what two foods would you live off of?
Hubs: For sure pizza... and I can eat a lot of potato salad.. With barbecue chips.


What is your love language?
Hubs: You always say its the one where you do chores.  But I like all of them. 


What is my love language?
 Hubs: The nice words one.


What is your ideal way to relax?
Hubs: Some nice music, a bottle of wine, and a good view, with you.

So there he is. Such a cutie. I just love this guy to pieces and I'm so thankful that he puts up with these ridiculous things that I make him do.

Paper Anniversary



This weekend we celebrated our paper anniversary. It is said that the paper anniversary symbolizes the delicate nature of a young marriage, as well as the modest beginnings of a new couple. I love old traditions and we both stuck with the paper theme for our gifts for each other.

My in-laws loves gifted us the use of their Napa house for the weekend. We are so lucky to have a family home in a place like Napa. Visiting Napa is on so many people's bucket lists, and people spend thousands of dollars to vacation to this place. Our second home. It's important to keep that in mind and not take such a beautiful blessing for granted.

We drove up after work on Friday and found the kitchen decorated with a banner and a bottle of champs in the fridge. God love my sweet in-laws. Seriously. They are so cute.

Nick made a couple pizzas and we spent the night relaxing and reminiscing. I found out Friday night that we would be waking up at 5:00 AM Saturday morning to go on a hot air balloon!

 

We woke up early Saturday to the sound of the pouring rain. A call to the balloon company confirmed that we would not, in fact be able to go that day. We went back to bed and woke up to more rain. We sat by the fire and talked about our wedding morning and what a complete disaster it would have been to have had rain that day. Our entire wedding was outside except for the bar and dance floor. We seriously would have been screwed if it had rained and I couldn't help but think about all of the poor brides that no doubt had weddings happening in the valley that day. We ended up going downtown to get a coffee at Oxbow, which was packed because of the rain. We left pretty quickly and went to a brewery to have a quick lunch and watch the A's game.{by the way... Wooooooooo!!! We won the West!! See you at the playoffs!}

 

Saturday night we went to one of my all time favorite restaurants, Michael Chiarello's, Bottega in Yountville. Dinner was absolutely to die for. We had frozen wedding cake to eat at home so we skipped desert, but loved these cute little peanut butter chocolates our server brought.

 

 

Sunday morning we woke up {at 5 AM} to go get on the balloon. This was an experience that I wish everyone could have at least once in their lives. Watching the sunrise from 3,000 feet above the vineyards was just breath taking. The balloon company that we went with launches the earliest and from the furthest North so we got to see all of the other balloons filling up and launching. At one point there were 16 other balloons in the air. Amazing.

 

We got married right on that golf course! To the left of the pond you can see a section of wedding chairs set up for another wedding.

 

Sunday was our actual anniversary and we flew directly over the golf course where we got married. Having to postpone the ride actually worked out better than we could have planned!

 

By the time we were done it was only 8:30 so we went to breakfast and then back home to watch our wedding video, do our gifts, and definitely take a nap. For my gift I made a shadow box frame with the lyrics from our wedding song. Nick gave me an empty journal with a message in it, promising to fill the journal with love letters and notes to me. I honestly couldn't think of a more perfect gift. This man just melts my heart.

 

 

My heart just feels so full of love after this weekend.



Happily 28

Nick's birthday was actually back in June, the same weekend of my sister's wedding so we pushed his birthday celebration back a week. We spent the weekend in Napa wine tasting and roasting in the heat. Northern CA has had one hell of a heat wave the last two weeks.

Saturday we went to a few wineries and then had dinner at a new restaurant in Yountville we hadn't tried yet that had delicious wood fire pizzas.

I made a key lime pie from scratch and Nick opened his presents. I got him an Xbox which I'm pretty sure makes me either the coolest wife ever, or the stupidest. I'm not sure which yet.

We spent all day Sunday baking ourselves next to the pool. It was so hot that eventually all of the dogs joined us {not by choice I might add}.

Here is Teddy watching the other three dogs in the pool from above. We haven't had a chance to get him to a lake yet this summer and we were trying to avoid putting him in the pool. I want him to love to swim and not be scared, and throwing a puppy in the pool isn't usually the best way to foster a love for water. But, it was way too hot and it had to happen.

Mr. Husband isn't the biggest fan of birthdays but I think this was a good one.

I love you sweet husband and I am so looking forward to spending the rest of our birthdays together!

Backtracking - Engagement Photos

 

One of my best friends in the world and Maid of Honor in our wedding is an extremely talented "wanna be" photographer. When we got engaged I knew right away that I wanted her to take our engagement photos.

We took her to Napa for the weekend and shot the photos at the in-laws house which made them extra special. She also did them for free in return for a weekend of wine tasting. Can’t get much better than that!

Here are some of my favorites.

How We Became the M's - Our Story

The Mr. and I met sometime during my Freshman {his Junior} year of college through some mutual friends. He had a pierced eyebrow and stood about a head shorter than me when I had heels on {still does actually}. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with this guy the first time I laid eyes on him. He’ll say the same thing if you ask him but I'm pretty sure he’s just being nice. We never actually spoke and it wasn’t until a year or so later that we ended up at mutual friend’s birthday party. He, being the polite gentleman that he is, came up to introduce himself and I, being the sassy curmudgeon that I am, said something like "um… yea we’ve met like 3 times.." a lie. But I was nervous, so what. Needless to say he didn't talk to me anymore that night.

Some time passed and later we found ourselves on a houseboat on Lake Don Pedro and that is where our story really {sort of} begins. He liked my frizzy lake hair and solid ability to down a beer bong {don't judge me}, and I liked his ridiculously cute smile and his half Chinese tan . We unsuccessfully attempted to date that summer and ended up going our separate ways. But, that was it, he had my heart. I wasn't going to settle for anything less.

More time passed and for the first time in a long time we were both single at the same time. Nick had left Chico and moved home to the Bay Area and started his career and we hadn't spoken in over a year. Thanks to the wonderful tool that is Facebook, I started harassing him and told him that "if he knew what was good for him, he’d make a trip to Chico for the weekend". He finally gave in and made the trip up to visit me. We've been inseparable since.
 

I met his family for the first time that Thanksgiving and we made it official on New Years Eve. A bit backwards if you ask me, but hey, it worked. We took our first vacation together that summer with his parents to Maui.
 

I finished up school the following December and made the move to the Bay Area. A five hour drive from my hometown and my parents.

For 4^th of July 2011 our families joined and rented a chalet in my hometown of Mount Shasta to celebrate one of my favorite holidays of the year. Little did I know that the entire family and my best friends had been conspiring behind my back for the last 6 months, and helping the soon to be Mr. to plan my proposal.

That night, right before the fireworks went off, he pulled me away and took me to the front porch of our cottage. He had covered the entire deck in pink rose petals and candles and in the middle of it all, sat the most beautiful diamond ring I have ever laid eyes on. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I didn’t answer but crumpled to the ground next to him and cried. He had to double check and make sure that that meant yes. Which, DUH!. That night we opened a bottle of champagne with the family and roasted s’mores. We couldn’t wait to start planning and I set the wedding date that night!

Pre-proposal mimosas with our parents

We got married on September 22, 2012 in Yountville, in the middle of the beautiful, world famous, Napa Valley surrounded by 150 of our closest friends and family. It was the best, most beautiful day of my life, and everything that I had ever dreamed that my wedding would be.

We honeymooned in Bora Bora, French Polynesia for 8 amazing days where we lounged, tanned, swam with stingrays and sharks, and drank a lot of fruity tropical cocktails. We are already counting down the days until our 25^th anniversary when we’ll get to go back.







Lunch at Bloody Mary's

5 short months later, and here we are! A couple of lucky ducks, living in love.